Lawyers for tower block fire victims welcome announcement of a full public inquiry into the fire at Grenfell Tower which has left at least 17 people dead

15 June 2017

The law firm currently representing 40 victims of the 2016 Shepherd’s Bush tower block fire, and which advised the residents committee after 6 people died at Lakanal House in Southwark in 2009, has welcomed the announcement by Theresa May that a full public inquiry into the fire at Grenfell Tower will be held.

The Grenfell Tower fire has left at least 17 people dead, with many more missing. Lawyers at Leigh Day are calling for improvements to high rise living within the city of London as an immediate priority.

Composite panels or ‘sandwich panels’ were described at the inquest hearing as two external layers filled with a 'sort of blown or aerated foam'. These were on the external walls of Lakanal House and had been fitted during a major refurbishment of Lakanal House during 2006/7.

Initial reports suggest that composite panels recently fitted to the building during a refurbishment may have contributed to the spread of the fire at Grenfell Tower.

Thomas Jervis from law firm Leigh Day, who acts on behalf of 40 victims of the tower block fire at Shepherd’s Court on the Charecroft Estate in 2016, which is believed to have been started by a faulty appliance, said:

“The damage that a fire can cause within a high rise block is staggering. The speed at which it travels and the confinement of those who live there is terrifying.

“A full public inquiry is overdue as many people across the world have paid with their lives for high rise living.

"We await the findings as to the cause of the blaze but we would call on the authorities to take urgent action to identify those building which may be at immediate risk."